Tagged: weird stats yankees mets democrats world series

The Bronx Bombers are the team to beat in Octobers with Democrats in the White House. All we have to do is block them from getting past October 4th!

c 2009 Evan Pritchard

There’s hope for the Yankees this year, and trouble for the Mets, in the form of Barack Obama. He is a formidable lefty, but that’s not the reason for pinstripe paranoia. He does have the mind of a Tony La Rusa, but that’s not the problem. The problem is, he’s a Democrat. The Yankees do really well when a Democrat is President. Why? Nobody knows, but if you don’t believe me, keep reading.

In their early years, the Yankees did not win any pennants or World Series. There were Republicans in the White House from their inception until 1913 and the Yankees did not enter the World Series. Then Woodrow Wilson, a Dem, came into office, and the Yankees did not play in the World Series then either.

There were Republican presidents from 1921 to 1933, and the Yankees were in seven world series, winning four (1-2 under Harding, 2-1 under Coolidge, 1-0 under Hoover) and losing three. There does not seem to be much of a pattern…yet.

But starting with FDR in 1933, things change for the Bronx Bombers. The new jinx or charm began, depending on your point of view. Without the Babe (whose voting record is not known) a mysterious pattern emerges. Under FDR’s democratic administration, the Yankees won six out of seven World Series they entered. (winning in 36,37,38,39, 41, 43 and losing in 42) Under Truman’s democratic leadership, the Yankees won all five World Series they entered. (47, 49, 50, 51, and 52.)

Under Eisenhower, they continued to do well, even though he was a Republican. (he would probably have run as a Democrat if he had to, for example if Dewey had won the previous election). They entered six World Series and split, three wins three losses, winning in 53, 56, and 58 and losing in 55, 57 and 60.

Under John F. Kennedy they won the pennant every year he was in office, and won the World Series in ’61 and 62, losing the series just a month before his untimely death on November 22nd, 1963. They lost the World Series again in 1964 under Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson.

Thepattern doesn’t quite hold up after that. Under Republican Gerald Ford they played in two World Series, losing in 76 and winning in 77. They won the World Series again under Democrat Jimmy Carter in 78. They won the pennant once under Ronald Reagan, that was in 1981, but lost the World Series that year.

The Yankees never won a pennant while George HW (Poppy) Bush was in office, Republican. They won only one pennant under George W. Bush, that was in 2001, but lost the series that year to the Diamondbacks. But under Clinton, they won four World Series and lost none, going all the way in 96, 98, 99, and 2000. As mentioned before, they did not win any World Serieses during any Bush administrations. Which brings us to Barack Obama. Will he be good luck for the Yankees? Or will the White Sox suddenly start winning all the marbles?

What does that all add up to, my friends? Not a convincing curse, but some interesting and lopsided stats.

Since FDR:

Under Democrats

FDR6-1 in World Series Championships

Truman 5-0 in World Championships

Kennedy2-1 in World Series

Johnson 0-1

Carter1-0

Clinton 4-0

That’s 16-3 in World Series play for the Yankees while a Democrat is in office.

You’re probably saying to yourself, that’s 19 Democratic World Series contests between 1933 and 2000; not too shabby.

Now let’s look at the Republican World Series record with the Yankees since FDR.

Eisenhower3-3

Ford1-1

Reagan 0-1

GW Bush 0-1

Their World Series record under a Republican administration since FDR is a disappointing 4-6. But 10 World Series isn’t bad either.

All told, the Yankees are 16-3 under Democrats and 8-9 under Republicans in World Series competition.What that means is that they won 19 league pennants under Dems and 17 under Reps, not much of a difference. But in terms of October, we see the difference is quite dramatic. Under an Obama administration, there’s no telling if they’ll get to the Fall Classic, but if they do, they will most certainly win. They have an .842 winning percentage in World Series championships with a Democrat in the White House, so you gotta like their chances if they can get there. All we have to do is block them from getting there.

Any ideas how to do that?

Can we still get this guy?

With all the hype about Murphy, maybe we could get him in a trade for Murphy.